As a leading registered dietitian with a PhD in exercise physiology, Jenna Bell, Senior Vice President and Director of Food & Wellness at Pollock Communications is often quoted in the media. Most recently, US Newstapped her expertise in food and nutrition to help its readers understand How to Eat Vegan During Pregnancy. Check out the article and Jenna’s insights here…https://health.usnews.com/wellness/family/slideshows/how-to-eat-vegan-during-pregnancy

Shruti Shah, Senior Account Executive and Media Maven at Pollock Communications, is known around the office for her creative ideas, catchy headlines and in-depth knowledge of media dos and don’ts. So it came as no surprise that her PR tips are featured in a recent BuzzFeed PR pro roundup, 99 Publicists Share Their Top 3 Strategies To Help You Get Media Coverage. The article includes Shruti’s suggestions, including thorough research, a personal touch and a “pithy” subject-line as key elements in landing media placements.

Shruti Shah, Senior Account Executive

Here at Pollock Communications, Shruti uses her industry know-how and quick wit to earn coverage for clients. Working on both consumer-packaged goods and commodity clients, she develops and executes traditional and digital media campaigns and designs influencer programs that achieve stellar results. For more information on how Pollock Communications can drive your key messages to reach your target audience, contact us.

As part of our ongoing efforts to promote America’s Original Superfruit® – cranberries on behalf of the Cranberry Marketing Committee USA (CMC), Pollock Communications secured a byline article for Scott J. Soares, Executive Director of the CMC in the May issue of Produce Business. The article, “In Pursuit of a Paradigm Shift for Cranberry Sales,” discusses the challenges associated with a food tied to a particular season, and how the cranberry industry has attempted to overcome this marketing obstacle with unique and compelling communications programs. To read the full article click here and go to page 105.

This just in! The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Committee Report was released today!

Remember when it was critical to find foods that had “no cholesterol”? For decades, nutrition and public health experts deemed dietary cholesterol enemy of the heart and advised Americans to cap their intake at 300mg per day. Based on a comprehensive review of the evidence conducted by the Committee, the importance of lowering dietary cholesterol has been downgraded.

A historically feared component of animal-based foods, the advisory committee took notice to the growing number of studies failing to show harm related to cholesterol consumption among healthy adults and those with high cholesterol levels. The advisory committee is now looking for the Dietary Guidelines to remove the emphasis on cholesterol – stating that it is not considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption. Make no mistake, the committee is not reversing previous recommendations of reducing cholesterol intake, but instead is acknowledging that cholesterol is not the alleged villain as previously thought.

Pollock Communications has a long history of successfully communicating the health and wellness benefits of brands and commodity foods to consumers, retailers and healthcare professionals. With registered dietitians on staff, Pollock helps their clients understand new dietary guidelines and communicate messages that align with current recommendations. For more information on how we can communicate your key messages and achieve your goals, contact us.

On February 1, the Super Bowl launched more than American football fever. The event dominated news and social media, and consequently created one of the largest newsjacking opportunities for brands across the country. As the online arena heated up, social media became even more competitive than the players on the field. From big brands to local businesses, everyone could join in NFL-mania.

However, there is more to jumping on the news cycle than adding “#SB49” to the end of a post. Trending news stories can be an effective tool for getting a brand’s name out in social media, but it is important to remember that just because something is #trending, doesn’t mean strategy should be thrown out the window. In fact, “newsjacked” posts may be seen by a larger audience than usual and should be even more carefully crafted.

Some tips to keep in mind when marrying social media trends with brand strategies:

Keep it neutral

Remember that a brand probably has fans on both sides of any issue (or game). While a little good-natured competition can be humorous, especially in the sports world, be careful not to go too far. Without the benefit of tonality, the audience can easily misinterpret sarcasm and jokes for something more mean-spirited.

Keep your brand in mind

For a post to be most effective, it should be about the brand and the event. Find a connection and work with it. Clothing stores are not expected to share player stats, but go ahead and share some sketches of redesigned team outfits or styles. Even if the connection is simply being based in a certain city, be sure the brand’s image and tone are still present among the news.

Pick your moments

Your audience doesn’t need or expect a social media post after every touchdown, or even every game. Instead, choose your moment – one witty brand post will go farther than 10 bland ones.

Have fun!

Interact with consumers and get involved. Being a top-tier sponsor and creator of the beloved Clydesdale ads, Budweiser was sure to be a popular Twitter account during the Big Game. Still, they decided to add some extra excitement for the fans. They amplified their advertising with puppy and Clydesdale memes shared on Twitter, and responded to fans who were reacting in real-time to their commercial. It might have taken a little creativity and precise social media management, but Budweiser benefitted as fans shared the images and tweets across the internet – and the brand gained followers.

Newsjacking is one of the most advantageous brand opportunities that has arisen from the social media explosion. It allows brands the chance for exposure and audience growth that could typically take several months, or even years. Of course, this means the possibility of negative exposure grows as well, and many brands have seen the consequences of misinterpreted or mishandled posts. However, with a strong social media strategy and a little cleverness, brands can truly benefit from the instantaneous nature of social media and breaking news.

At Pollock Communications, we specialize in building awareness for food, health and wellness clients and we know that understanding how to use the right social media tools for a brand and maintaining a strong social media presence is crucial to delivering stellar results for our clients. For more information on how we can help build your social media strategy, contact us.